Goodyear, Union Begin Contract Talks for 6 Plants

Goodyear and the Steelworkers are negotiating on new national contract covering 8,000 tire workers at six plants.

The talks come amid the backdrop of an uncertain economy, shrinking unions and company cost-cutting. The first round of talks in Cincinnati ended Thursday and recessed until June.

The current contract expires July 27.

There's been no talk of a strike. It's unclear if union will use the talks as a pattern to set the stage for negotiations during the summer with tire makers Bridgestone-Firestone and Michelin-BFGoodrich.

Steelworkers struck Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear for three months in 2006.

The tire industry has been aided by a revived American auto industry, which had its best performance in five years in 2012.